Thread: Restore 1930s Art Deco Dining Table Burr Walnut Veneer

The lacquer on top of the veneer is shellac, the traditional high sheen lacquer derived from dissolved beetle shells which fell out of favour with the invention of new and less temperamental lacquer types from the late 1930s onwards. Essentially you want someone to french polish it (that would be with shellac).

Seriously avoid anyone trying to do a modern poly-urethane finish or similar.

The upside with shellac is it can be re-applied to existing shellac (although I suspect the damage on yours is too great) and, done properly, delivers that mirror-like sheen that makes art deco furniture look so great.

The downside is that it is particularly sensitive to alcohol (the beetle shells are dissolved in alcohol to make shellac), water and heat (am I missing anything here). But, with a bit of basic care, it's still the finish of choice for me - and it's absolutely period correct.

Antipodes is quite correct in his assessment re the probable finish that would have been applied, let alone other information re the upside and downsides of shellac.

The good news is that it is a very user friendly finish, and despite all the mystique re
"French Polishing" and being a job for the expert restorers only, it is not. That sort of myth is complete bollocks.

Shellac finishes are dead easy to apply, especially if you use both a brush and/or pad. If you want to go the next step to how professionals French Polish (to a mirror level finish), yes that technically is more difficult and something for the very experienced, but I wouldn't worry re that.

This site sells (via Ubeaut) another product called Hard Shellac, and it is applied just like normal shellac. The beauty, so I understand with this product is that it is more robust against heat, water etc. I havn't tried it yet but will sometime.

I have been restoring furniture (antiques) and antique joinery for over 20 years now, so have learnt a few things along the way. But I am not a professional and definitely not an expert.

My take, based on the pictures shown is that you will need to strip the old finish off, it appears to have gone off far too bad to be able to lightly sand back/strip back and simply re-apply new shellac to it.

To strip it back and given it is a veneered surface I would be a little careful with this. Probably the best option would be to use metho and steel wool to clean it off, before assessing what next is required. You might need to lightly sand the cleaned surface, using say 340-400 grade paper. Some will argue against sanding and there is merit in what they say, but my experience tells me otherwise that with care, sanding won't harm any patina in a piece. It is only poor sanding that will do this.

Re the application of shellac, the best option is to buy it in flakes and buy metho and mix it yourself. It dissolves readily in the meths. You should aim for a mixture that is roughly equivalent in viscosity to around milk. If you add too much metho it will be too weak, if you don't add enough it will be too viscous and you won't be able to apply it. Just add more meths if it appears to be too thick.

Brushes are fine, and especially for any detail areas, but other wise make up a pad, of say cotton (about the size of your palm of your hand) and cover with lint free cotton or cheese cloth and start applying. Tradditional French polishing techniques say to apply in a figure of 8 technique and that is fine. However, expereince also tells me that for your final stages it should really follow the grain of the timber. In this instance, however, that may not be relevant.

I find you need to work through the shellac re-finishing process in a few stages, cutting back lightly with 400 grade paper. 3 main stages of shellac applications should be sufficient. Finally cut back with 0000 steel wool and wax using a good bees wax polish.

There are a number of thread topics on this process here on the Restoration section, including my own projects and those of Lawry, which will show/explain further how it should work out.

Good luck and burr walnut will respond well to such a finish. Please post more progress reports/photos and ask questions as you need. Dave

Originally Posted by Antipodes

....derived from dissolved beetle shells .... (the beetle shells are dissolved in alcohol to make shellac)....

Just a small point, shellac is not made from beetle shells. It is the resin secreted by a female lac bug which is a scale insect or mealybug.
Sorry for the interjection, back to the excellent refinishing advice.
Oh and welcome Eddzter. That is a really nice looking table. Make sure you post some pics when it is finished (re-finished).

Hi Eddzter....looks like a great project to get stuck into. HC's words are spot on..they worked for me!! You will find plenty here who will work with you to bring this back to its former glory. My biggest experience is perhaps one worth your while perusing. Follow the link to a job I did a few months ago with the incredible guidance of a few craftsmen on this site: G'day folks...help with old english oak desk please. (I put the link here as a lot of the steps/ advice etc. are, I imagine, akin to what you may want to do) As Christos says... , 'Another one to Follow!!' Lawry

Yep my sloppiness on the beetle shells thing.....hopefully the drift was gotten.